December 30
Food was gathered and packaged for the marginalized and vulnerable that live here – the immigrant, the refugee, the poor. The wise men were humbled and encouraged by their efforts, knowing that the peace on earth all men hope for could not be achieved in the presence of hunger.
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Today’s micro-challenge: How can you support food ministries that feed the marginalized and the vulnerable? Make a plan and follow through.
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 5
STAYING AWAKE Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar built their houses on sand, did not have enough oil, and had been wise in their own eyes. And now their foolish darkened hearts were weighed down with worries. They had even fallen asleep while waiting. While Melchior tried to stir up the gift
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 4
Prepare Nobody knows who yawned first, but yawning is contagious. Caspar yawned second, and blamed Balthazar, who pointed at Melchior who was already snoring. By the time they woke up, all their lamps were dimmed. Scripture Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 3
Building Houses So perhaps they had professed themselves wise and became fools. Perhaps they sought to become wise by becoming fools. Whatever their reasons, they became fools. Not only had they forgotten who they had been waiting for, they forgot the things he had told them to do, and so
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 2
Futility Nobody really knows how they became foolish but legend has it that one day, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar were walking in the futility of their own mind, trying to determine who was the wisest among them with a Cracker Barrel IQ Test. They became so obsessed with their wisdom
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 1
Today is the first day of our Wandering Wise Men devotion series, which runs from December 1 - 25. Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior are about to embark on a journey in search of the King whose star they see in the night sky. Each day in our devotion series will
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 6
When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. - Matthew 2:10-11 Today's
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 5
Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar had a vision of the King they sought leaving Bethlehem and making his way to Egypt. They had to hurry if they wanted to visit this King before he left! Today’s Quote: In Matthew, we find that the wise men left their homes, following a star
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 4
The star was getting closer and brighter. Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior felt they were getting closer to meeting the King they had been seeking. Today’s Quote: “Look up and raise your heads” (Luke 21:28) Advent creates people, new people. We too are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 3
Our traveling wise men were delighted to meet three feathered creatures on their journey. “Perhaps a bird’s eye view is exactly what we need to help us reach our destination!” exclaimed Balthasar. The men were hoping that the birds would give them a ride and enable them to see over
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 2
Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior had this strange feeling when they gazed upon the image on the glass ball in front of them. There was something about that image that was eerily familiar to them, but they couldn’t quite put their finger on it… Today’s Quote:The magi signal to us that
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Our Wandering Wise Men – January 1, 2024
Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar are wishing for peace in this new year. Today's Quote: In our joy, we think we hear a whisper. At first it is too soft. Then only half heard. We listen carefully as it gathers strength. We hear a sweetness. The word is Peace. It is
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 31
Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior suddenly realized that it was New Year’s Eve night. They began to frantically ransack their minds for all the lore they had learned about what to do to bring themselves luck for the New Year. “Don’t put up a new calendar until tomorrow!” said Balthasar.
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 30
The wise men’s hearts were still strangely warmed from their earlier discussion with John Wesley, but Gaspar had been chewing on what was discussed and was looking for a loophole. He had heard somewhere that he could stay rich if he could shove his camel through a needle, so he
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 29
Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior heard bells ringing in the distance and headed in that direction. “This can only mean that Bernie has found the actual shepherds!” said Gaspar sagely. “Why is that?” asked Melchior, who was getting frustrated by their journey. “Because every time a bell rings an angel gets
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 28
Just then, an angel appeared unto them. “BE NOT AFRAID!” the angel said. But Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior were not afraid. This angel had no wings, and did not strike fear into them somehow. “Thank goodness I found you!” said the angel, whose name was Bernie -”I am the angel
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 27
After the donkey had shared all his gossip about this stable in an inn in Bethlehem, the camels began to move again. But Melchior noticed one animal had been left behind. It was none other than Zebedee the sheep. He was definitely prone to wander, and had gotten himself separated
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 26
The magi were trying to find another inn, but Hezekiah started talking to a donkey from the area and would not move. Stubbornly dug in, the camel wanted to hobnob with this donkey a little longer. The donkey had some juicy gossip about how he and some others had spent
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 25
While our wise men continue to wander the area searching for the newborn King, this was happening in an inn in Bethlehem. Today’s Quote: The Many Disguises of Emmanuel Emmanuel, God-with-us, Long awaited, eagerly anticipated, Delicious dreams of royal robes, A messiah enthroned with elegance. False notions and
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 24
Gaspar, Balthasar and Melchior arrived in Bethlehem and were looking for lodging. They had reservations at one inn, but it had overbooked and didn’t have room for their camels in the stables. They were putting actual guests in the stables! Our traveling trio offered to help build some additional stable
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 23
The wise men finally caved in and asked a wise old “Owl” for help. “Alexa?” they said, “Where is Bethlehem?” The owl hooted in response, but Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior could not understand what this curious creature was trying to tell them. (They later learned that this mysterious animal was used
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 22
The darkness didn’t last long because a red glow began to wash over the wise men. It was Santa’s red nosed reindeer! Rudolph was surprised to see them. “I would have thought you three would be in Bethlehem by now!” he said. “Bethlehem?” asked Gaspar. “Yes, where Jesus Christ will
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 21
The three wise men (and Donnie) still had no presents for the baby Jesus, and they were not even sure how far they had wandered. They were lost, had no gifts to offer, and now all around them was darkness. Luckily, Donnie had his trusty telescope. “We can always go
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 19
The magi had to shin down the lampstand on which the Advent wreath rested, only to find a forest of another sort. Balthasar recognized the red and green plants immediately and told his fellows the story of Pepita, a young peasant girl who was too poor to bring a gift
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 18
After about a half a day of traveling through an evergreen forest, the magi began to feel as though they were traveling in circles. As it turned out they were – they had stumbled into the Advent Wreath at Centreville United Methodist Church! They were a little fuzzy on the
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Our Wandering Wise Men – December 17
Now that the path had been cleared of obstacles, our travelers were intent on moving speedily along to meet the great King. But then they heard something. It was the sound of children’s voices raised in song - joyous song. Their old friends from the preschool rooms were having a
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 1by Kim Wu on November 27, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
The star shone brightly against the dark night sky, and drew the attention of Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior – three wise men from the east. "The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before. It is not possible to
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 2by Kim Wu on November 28, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
The men couldn’t contain their excitement, as this star was the sign they had been waiting for. They must go and worship the king of the Jews! Balthasar was well-prepared to celebrate this joyous occasion, and generously shared his party supplies with the others. "Joys are always on their way
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 3by Kim Wu on November 29, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
Fresh from the bustle of the Black Friday sales, our wise men gathered their gifts to take to the infant king. Balthasar’s approach was more practical, with his purchase of diapers, while Melchior chose something fun for the baby. Gaspar began to wonder if his gift of frankincense was the
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 4by Kim Wu on November 30, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
Knowing that the journey would be long, the wise men invited three camels to travel with them. Hezekiah, the leader of the pack, was honored to accompany the men on such important business, and offered to provide sustenance for the trip. “The magi challenge us to be serious about our
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 5by Kim Wu on December 1, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
As each of the wise men had a different opinion on the way to get to their destination, they needed a little help getting started on their journey. "Christmas can only be found. Christmas cannot be bought. Christmas cannot be created. Christmas cannot be made by hand, lit up, set
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Our Wandering Wise Men – Day 6by Kim Wu on December 2, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
The wise men were delighted to happen upon a great feast, especially one such as this. This was a feast given in celebration of fellow travelers from all over the globe, who just completed a semester of English as a Second Language classes. Surely this welcoming embrace of people from
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 7by Kim Wu on December 3, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
Was this curious celestial being friend or foe? Out of an abundance of caution, the men took cover until they could ascertain the true nature of this vision in blue. Good fortune was with them when it was discovered to be a friendly Haitian angel – an ambassador for Helping
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Our Wandering Wise Men Day 8by Kim Wu on December 4, 2022 in Our Wandering Wise Men
Gaspar thought these strangely shaped containers might be hourglass drums. Balthasar, however, noticed the wafer-like item on one end and the red liquid in the other, and had a feeling that wasn’t their primary purpose. “You meet us in our hungering with manna not of our making, and in our
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